Earth-scraper.



No. 895,915. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

J. E. TUCKER.

EARTH SCRAPER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1908.

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' J. E. TUCKER.

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APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1908.

PATBNTED AUG. 11, 1908.

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INVENTOR JOSEPH E.TUGKER,

ATTORNEYS P mull 13 J. El TUCKER.

EARTH SGRAPBR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET sj W/TNESSES INVENTOH JDSEPH E. TucrrER,

ATTOHNEYS PATBNTED AUG. 11, 1908-- JOSEPH EDMOND TUCKER, OF JENNINGS, KANSAS.

EARTH-SCRAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug, 11, 1908.

Application filed. January 2, 1908. Serial No. 408,952.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrn EDMOND TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jennings, in the county of Decatur and State of Kansas, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Earth- Scrapers, of which the following is a specificatlon.

My invention relates to that class of earth scrapers and excavators, which are employed for handling or transferring masses of earth, sand and other material from one point to another along the surface of the earth by being dragged back and forth between two pomts from the action of cables winding on spools which are turned by separate frictions and so constructed that either may receive power separately while the others are released.

It consists in the novel construction and arrangement of scraper provided with means for dragging the same back and forth and for dumping the scoop by being turned over from the pull of the draft chain or drag rope as will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my earth scraper. Fig. 2 a rear end view of the same. Fig. 3 a partial horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view in detail of the clutch mechanism spaced apart for clearer illustration, and Figs. 6 and 7 are respec tively a perspective view and a cross section of a chain throat employed for the purpose of preventing the chain from becoming twisted. Y

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents the bottom of the scoop, whose forward edge is made sharp and adapted to cut into the earth to be excavated. B, B, are the sides of the same and C its back wall. At the rear corners of the scoop are erected standards V, V, which rise to a point above the level of the sides of the scoop and are connected at the top by a cross bar T, and which cross bar is connected at the middle by two parallel bars U, U, extending to the back wall of the scoop.

D, D, are two curved rocker bars, which extend from the lower forward ends of the side bars of the scoop to the upper ends of the rear corner standards V.

E is a bail pivotally connected to the two sides of the scoop and also connected at its middle loop portion to the draft chain F.

This draft chain F extends rearwardly over a flanged sprocket Wheel G, which is provided with link seats to receive the links of the chain. This sprocket wheel G is arranged between the upright parallel bars U, U, and is rigidly attached to an axial shaft 1 turning in bearings W, W, as seen in Fig. 2. This axial shaft has rigidly attached to it on opposite sides of the sprocket wheel, clutch faces H, H, adapted to engage corresponding movable clutch faces K, K, attached to the inner ends of sleeves J, arranged to slide on the axial shaft I. The sleeves J are provided withcross bars 6 and 0, arranged to slide in horizontal guides P, P, seen in Figs. 2 and 4, which cross bars permit the clutch members K to slide on the axial shaft to prevent the same from rotating thereon. To the outer cross bar b of each sleeve are attached at its opposite ends, spiral springs 61 d, connected to the upright bars U, U, the tension of whlch springs serves to hold the sleeves J and their attached clutch faces K into locked engagement with the rigid clutch members H on the axial shaft. The outer ends of this axial shaft I are extended beyond the sides of the scoop and are made square to receive the square socket of a crank handle as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

To the rear end wall C of the scoop, in middle position, there is attached the semicircular guide bar N arranged in a horizontal plane, as seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Within this semicircular guide bar there plays the small flanged wheel 6 arranged on the upper end of a housing L, containing a sprocket wheel M, around which and beneath which, is extended the draft chain F. The housing L is pivoted at e to an offsetting flange on the'rear of the scoop about a vertical axis so that said housing may swing to the right or left and thus changes the angular relation of the housing to the back wall of the scoop. When said housing swings in this manner about its pivot 6, its upper guide roller 6 travels within the curved guide N, as seen in Fig. 2, to hold the same steady.

To the rear end of the housing L there is detachably secured a chain throat O, seen in detail in Figs. 6 and 7, which chain throat receives the draft chain F as it passes rearwardly from the scoop to the back hauling drum of the power gears. This chain throat is composed of two pieces of sheet metal secured together at their edges with an enlarged middle portion and narrow grooves on the opposite side adapted to receive a disk or plate f attached to the chain, which disk or plate f rides in the diametrical grooves of the chain throat and holds the chain against twisting as it passes to or from the sprocket wheels M and G.

To the outer cross bars I) of each movable clutch section K there is attached a pull wire Q, passing over a small pulley r and descending to a second grooved pulley R and extending thence horizontally to the operators position at one of the power gears. By pulling on either one of the wires Q, the sleeve J and its attached clutch member K is pulled away from locking engagement with the rigid clutch member H on the axial shaft I, so as to permit the latter to turn freely as the draft chain F moves over the sprocket wheel D. The form and relation of the teeth in the clutch members H and K, is such that H is rigidly engaged with K and precluded thereby from turning when the draft chain K passes over the top of the sprocket wheel G in a forward direction in relation to the scoop, but permits the sprocket wheel G and its attached shaft I and clutch member H to rotate backward when a pull is exerted upon the draft chain F in the opposite direction to the advance of the scoop.

The operation of my scraper is as follows, reference being had to Figs. 1 and 4. Assuming that the scoop is at the point where it has been filled with earth and this earth is to be transported, a pull of a draft rope or chain upon the coupling a will exert an even strain upon the top and bottom of the scoop through the agency of the bail E and the chain F, which it will be seen, is locked into the sprocket wheel G as against the forward movement of said chain, by reason of the fact that the clutch member H, which is rigid with the sprocket wheel, is prevented from moving by the locking engagement of the non-rotating clutch member K. In this position of parts the scoop is drawn forwardly by the winding up of the draft cable or chain exerting its tension on the coupling a. When the point is reached at which the load of the scoop is to be dumped, the draft chain is slackened and the chain F is pulled back Wardly by the drum of the rear power gears until the chain F raises the bail E to the dotted position shown in Fig. 4, for this backward movement of the chain F is permitted by the unimpeded backward turning of the s rocket wheel G and its clutch faces H, whic 1 turn backward freely over the teeth of the clutch members K. After the bail E has been turned to the dotted position shown in Fig. 4, the forward pulling cable resumes its strain upon the coupling a with the bail E in its elevated position, with the result that the entire scoop is turned over in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4 and rides in inverted position on the rocker bars D, thereby dumping the contents of the scoop.

To restore the scoop to the upright position shown in Fig. 4, a pull is exerted upon the pull wires Q which separate the movable clutch sections K, K, from the rigid clutch sections H and as the scoop is turned backward again to its upright position, the strain of the draft chain pulls back the bail E from the dotted position to the full line position, the forward movement of the sprocket wheel Gr being permitted by the release of the clutch members K. After the scoop is restored to its upright position it is dragged backwardly by the chain F to the starting point to be again filled. To cause the forward edge of the bottom of the scraper to be shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, so as to enter the earth, the chain F is drawn backwardly by means of the crank handle on the ends of the axial shaft I, as shown in dotted 'lines' in Fig. 2.

handle and the shaft I backwardly by hand, allows the teeth of the clutch member H-to pass over the teeth of the clutchmembers K and in taking up the chain F in front of the scoop tilts the scoop forwardly so that its lower edge occupies the dotted position shown in Fig. 4. When in this position and a draft strain is exerted upon the coupling a in front of the scoop, the latter will be advanced into the earth or sand and be filled by the forward movement and after reaching its destination will be dumped in a manner hereinbefore described.

In illustrating my invention I have shown two of the clutch connections H and K, one on each side of the sprocket wheel G and separately operatedby the pull wires Q. In practice only one of these clutches is really necessary and two are shown for the purpose of allowing the scoop to be dumped from either side, it being understood that when both clutches are in action, both pull wires Q, Q, must be operated at once. When it is desired to have only one of the clutches in back and thus rendered inoperative.

I claim 1. An earth scraper having a curved rocker arm on each side upon which'the scoop rides when inverted, in combination with a draft chain and sprocket wheel and a hinged bail arranged to invert and dump the scoop as described.

2. An earth scraper having a curved rocker arm on each side upon which the scoop rides when inverted, in combination with a draft chain and sprocket wheel, a hinged bail arranged to invert and dump the scoop as described, and a clutch device and releasing mechanism for the sprocket wheel.

3. An earth scraper'having a curved rocker i arm on each side upon which the scoop rides This turning of the crank.

canted down at an inclined position, as

action, the other may be conveniently tied when inverted, in combination with a draft cham and sprocket wheel, a hinged bail arranged to invert and dump the scoop as described, a clutch device and releasing mechanism for the sprocket wheel and a lower sprocket wheel and housing swinging about a vertical axis.

4. An earth scraper having a curved rocker arm on each side upon which the scoop rides when inverted, in combination with a draft chain and sprocket wheel, a hinged bail arranged to invert and dump the scoop as described, a clutch device and releasing mechanism for the sprocket wheel, a lower sprocket wheel and housing swinging about a vertical axis, and a chain throat extending rearwardly from the housing and provided with means for preventing the chain from twisting.

5. The combination with a scraper and operating gear for dumping the same, of a chain and a chain guide for preventing the chain from twisting,

6. The combination with a scraper and operating gear for dumping the same, of a chain and a chain guide for preventing the chain from twisting, consisting of a tubular throat having opposite guide grooves and a plate attached to the chain and running in said guide grooves.

7 The combination with a scraper having a bail; of a horizontal axial shaft journaled in the upper portion of the back wall of the scraper and having a rigidly attached sprocket wheel and clutch member, a non,- rotating spring pressed sleeve with clutch member sliding on the said shaft and locking the clutch member of the axial shaft, a flexible pull line for the sliding sleeve, a sprocket wheel arranged near the bottom of the back wall of the scraper and a chain attached to the bail and passing over the upper sprocket wheel and under the lower sprocket wheel.

8. The combination with an invertible scraper having side rockers; of an operating chain and an elevated sprocket wheel with rigid horizontal shaft and clutch member, a sleeve sliding on the same and having a clutch member engaging the clutch member of the shaft and having also cross bars at both ends, horizontal guides for the cross bars and springs holding said cross bars toward the clutch on the shaft.

9. The combination with an invertible scraper having side rockers; of an operating chain, an elevated sprocket wheel with clutch member and a lower sprocket wheel with housing, said housing being connected to the rear of the scraper by a vertical axis and hav ing a guide roller at its upper end and a semi circular guide bar attached to the rear of the scraper in a horizontal plane and arranged to cooperate with the guide roller of the housing.

10. The combination with an invertible scraper having side rockers; of an elevated shaft journaled horizontally above the back wall of the scraper and having a rigidly attached sprocket wheel and clutch member, and a chain running over the sprocket wheel to dump the scraper, the axial shaft of the sprocket wheel being extended beyond the side of the scraper and constructed to receive a handle for its manual operation.

JOSEPH EDMOND TUCKER.

Witnesses:-

L. N. SHAW, W. A. SMITH. 

